promised letters
by golden doe
Summary: Sakura called it coincidence. His mother said it was destiny. Only belatedly did Sasuke realise, it was actually a second chance.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Four years later—

February 19, 2012

"This isn't goodbye," she told him in sincere whisper as her eyes gazed unwaveringly against his own. From her it sounded like an unspoken promise.

The three words were addressed to him but somehow, he had a feeling she said them to convince herself of that fact too.

It was ironic how she was saying that now though and as desperately he wanted to believe her, the thing was that... "You're still leaving," he told her. And just in case she needed a further reality check, he gestured about them.

They were standing just a few feet from the boarding gate her parents just disappeared into, leaving the two teenagers to say their private farewells to each other not for the first time, but hopefully not for the last either. Of course, Mr. Haruno didn't fail to send him a one last glare before walking off with his wife. But somehow he didn't care about that now; all that mattered to him at that moment was the girl (almost a woman) standing before him.

The girl who unexpectedly entered his life, the one he left, who re-entered his life when his brother went off to college, then moved away to a town almost a hundred kilometres away from him but still kept in touch and visited him, the one who he wanted to reach his goals and dream with and actually thought he could... and then they arrived to where they were currently standing.

In the departure area, just steps away from the plane that would take her away from him. And this wouldn't be like the time she moved to Rockingham. No, then all either of them had to do was hop on the train to see each other, to overcome the distance, the space separating them. But _this_. She was going to board a plane to take her away to the other side of the country—heck, the other side of the continent. Four hours travel by air, then the two hour difference.

"I know that," she smiled at him but there were tears gathering in her eyes.

And it was at the sight of her tears that prompted him to pull her into his arms, embracing her as tightly as he could, holding onto her, not wanting to let her go. The suddenness of his action made her drop the handbag she was carrying but neither really cared. Sakura reciprocated the embrace, wrapping her smaller arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. Feeling her hug him back made him tighten his hold around her. Sasuke buried his face into her hair, smelling the fragrance of the shampoo he had come to familiarise himself with. Nights spent sleeping together on his bed (and sometimes hers) curled next to each other made him aware of everything that was her.

"But this isn't the end," she started saying, her words muffled against his shirt, and he could feel the slightest moisture seeping through the cotton. "You'll still see me. And I'm sure you'll visit me, right?"

"Aa," he breathed into her hair.

There were so much things he wanted to tell her. So much he planned to tell her shortly after they started attending university together. Things he'd been wanting to say for years but had been too cowardly to do so. Because he'd been waiting for the fucking right moment. Because he was afraid _it_ might ruin the friendship they have. But now, now that things seemed as if they would never see each other again, he wanted to. But it wasn't right. It didn't feel right.

This wasn't some fucking drama where they're starring in. This wasn't like those movies where the guy chases after the girl of his life to confess his undying love for her, asks her to stay and the girl doesn't leave anymore. This was reality slapping him on the face.

Sasuke didn't know how long they stayed in each other's arms, how long they stood there, how long he held onto her as tightly as he could, how long he contented himself to be just with her, until Mrs. Haruno came out from the boarding gate (to tell Sakura's "it's time") cooing at the sight of them intimately together.

The two best friends slowly pulled away from each other, as if both reluctant to let go. And it was then when he realized that Sakura had been crying. She let out a shaky sob to pull her composure back, reached down for her neglected bag, smoothened her clothes, until she finally looked back at him. The smile she sent him wasn't the normal blinding ones she wore but soft and... something he couldn't read.

He gave her a firm nod of goodbye, pushing his clenched fist into his jeans front pockets. And he watched as she started to walk towards the boarding gate with her mother, as she started to walk away from him, and Sasuke could barely continue watching her as she was but a couple of steps away from the gate, the flight attendants smiling expectantly, until she dropped her bag again and ran back towards him.

Sakura threw her arms around his neck and hugged him again. However it wasn't long until she pulled away to finally head towards the gates, where her mother was patiently waiting for her, but of course not before giving him a gentle peck on his cheek.

_to be continued..._


	2. Chapter 1

_Soft footsteps echoed through the empty house,_

_Growing fainter with each step,_

_Until there was no more but a resounding click of a door closing._

_._

_._

_._

Chapter 1

July, 2008

はじめましょう  
>(Let's begin)<p>

『Your best friend,

Sakura.』

Her little finger lingered above the letter A―hovering over the key almost longingly. Okay, so maybe not longingly. There's no way that after all these years she was still feeling nostalgic. That emotion used to be synonymous with _him_ but five years has already passed. Surely there's no way she'd be missing _him_ now.

It wasn't the first email she has typed for _him_, she reflected to herself, and she knew it won't be the last. A sigh escaped her lips as green eyes looked at the LCD monitor before her.

Drafts (832), she reads. 832 emails. 832 days. It has been more than two years since she stopped using pen and paper. A ridiculous number but it's perfect. To her at least.

Softly, she smiled. Glad that she hasn't missed a day. Not a single one. Because she promised him, and she'll keep her word. No matter what. She liked to keep her word and nothing breaks her heart more than failing to do so. It might've been long ago but a promise is a promise and whoever said they were meant to be broken was probably drunk, too jaded and didn't know what they were saying and ended sprouting some bullshit.

She frowned at the train of her thoughts. 14-year-old girls weren't supposed to use such vulgar language, may they be verbally or mentally; they're too unbecoming for a growing young lady, and so she chastised herself.

Ah, but who is she kidding?

Suddenly she felt tired. Tired of all the lies and the facade and the mask she wore to please everyone. She didn't want to do this. She's tired and exhausted and tired and just wants it to stop. It's been like this for years and it's beginning to get tiresome. But she knows she can't think like that, to feel like that. It isn't right and it's downright ungrateful to her parents. After all, they give the world to her.

If it weren't for them, she'd probably be sent to an orphanage.

Besides, Australia _is_ a great country many have told her. She knew she'll like it there even if she didn't. That's how she rolled.

She looked at the time. 3:45 PM. They'll be heading to the airport soon, she realized, so she shut the laptop off and inserted it inside her hand-carry bag. She rose from her Indian-seating position from the cold tiled-floor just outside the bedroom that had been hers for the past three years and in just a few minutes would be "one of the many bedrooms she owned."

Her feet dragged her to threshold—the sentence sounds wrong but it wasn't. Not to her. Green eyes swept about the cream-painted room. It was bare, almost as if untouched, like she never lived there, as if she's never been there these past three years, like she never slept there and spent her whole life inside it. The thought depressed her. She wanted to take another step to enter the room that had been her sanctuary one last time but she couldn't. The carpet cleaner just finished and the carpet was still wet.

Somehow she felt empty looking at the room that was her bedroom for three years—almost anyway; there are no signs of her ever being in there. It was simply just an empty room now with huge windows looking to east.

Then she wanted to cry; she also had the same urge the day before when the movers packed her whole room into a couple of boxes. It felt like the almost-three-years she stayed in this place didn't exist. There is nothing but an empty room. You couldn't even tell she used to spend every single day in that room, studiously studying for school. The huge A1-sized laminated Periodic table that covered most of the wall next to the window looked clean as if she didn't put any blu-tacks to keep the humongous poster on.

She was leaving again. Again.

Heading towards the front porch, she doesn't like the sounds of her footsteps echoing throughout the empty house that she is now only a few steps away from leaving.

She knew that when finally steps out the house, it would the third time she'd be moving to another place several hundreds of kilometres away within five years.

_But_, she thought to herself, Australia is a beautiful country—a continent and very diverse. She believed she'll like it there in no time and she'll meet amazing people and experience new things.

A faint voice from the recesses of her mind reminds her it was also where _he_ moved to all those years ago.

Her mom gave her a weak smile. And Sakura's heart wanted to reach out to her. They both didn't want to move, not again, but duty called her father, and so they must. After placing her hand-carry in the passenger seat, she got shotgun seat while her mom took the wheel. Sakura's dad has already gone ahead of them the week before to fix her school documents, and also to try to find a new house to lease.

Sakura didn't turn her head and look back they drive away but her eyes did not leave the sideview mirror until the house that served as her home grew too small to see. And the difficulty to withhold the tears threatening to fall from her eyes increased but she doesn't cry.

It wasn't a long ride to the airport and they arrived before she knew it—typical cliché yes but well, that's life: stuck in the loop of cliché. Her mom parks the car in front of the car rental office and they head over there to hand back the car key before entering the departure area.

Time seem to fast forward from then on, and again before she realizes it the pilot announces they have touched down at Changi International Airport. One more plane, she reminded herself. One more after a two hour interval.

They went to Starbucks and Sakura ordered her favourite caramel frappuccino while her mom settled for a mug of macchiato.

"So, Sakura, are you excited?"

She didn't want to but she faked a smile in return, ever dutifully playing the role of the obedient daughter.

"Of course, I can't wait 'til we get there. I'll finally see the Opera House! Do you think we can drive by there after we arrive?" she replied enthusiastically and she's actually excited to see the infamous origami-like white Opera House.

"Sweetie," her mom started with a teasing smile on her face, "that's in _Sydney; _we're moving to _Perth_."

"So...?"

Mebuki sighed. "Have you look at an Australian map yet?"

"Nope," Sakura chirped before taking another sip from her frappe.

"Here," her mother handed her a brochure they printed off the internet the other day and her jaw dropped when she saw that Perth was _nowhere _near Sydney. As a matter of fact it was located on the other side of the country. If she's going to compare the travel distance with from Vancouver to Winnipeg, she estimated it would at least take three hours to get there by airplane.

Great, she thought sarcastically, the biggest motivating factor in the very very few I have about moving to Australia disappears like dust; should've done more research.

"Oh well, I hear they have good beaches there," she tried to amend, even if she didn't really like the beach; it is tolerable but she prefers a more private pool.

They talk until it was time to head to the boarding gate for their connecting flight to Australia. Six hours later, the pilot's voice announces that they have touched down on Perth International Airport. _Finally._

* * *

><p>He shut the book quietly as he finally finished reading <em>After the First Death<em> and then pulled a notebook from his bag. He skimmed through the pages until he found the one he was looking for. There were twenty questions and each response must be at least 250 words long. He pulled the left sleeve of his jumper up his arm to check the time. 1:45PM. He has plenty of time, he thought.

Time pass he knew but he wasn't aware how long had. His phone suddenly rang, a disturbance in the silence of the empty library, and that was when he knew he's been gone too long.

"Sasuke?" it was his mother. She sounded worried like she always does.

"Hai, kaa-san?"

"Where are you?"

"In the library."

"Do you know what time it is, young man?"

"Hn."

"It's almost dinner, darling. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Sure."

It was not uncommon for him to lose track of time, especially when inside the city library studying. He knows it's winter break and he should live his life a little more but he doesn't want to. You see, he has goals. Not dreams because he intends to make them a reality, not something that only occurs during unconsciousness without any certainty of ever happening.

Sasuke Uchiha was only in Year 9 but he knows what he wants to do. He's known it since the year before because it was when he decided his future. Halfway Year 8, he has a list of plans and goals.

1. Study hard for the next five years to achieve high marks.

2. Maintain high marks until the end of Year 12 to get high ATAR score.

3. Apply for the best universities in the country. Aim for either Australian National University or University of Melbourne. Nothing less.

The abovementioned universities are the best across the whole country and their world-ranking isn't bad (at least that was what Itachi-nii said so and he always believed in his older brother). Of course he was only 13-years-old (turning 14 in few days) with about five years ahead of him until he finishes high school but he likes to plan ahead. It keeps his head on the game and gives him focus, a direction.

Personally, he blamed it all on his brother's influence. Last year, Itachi was on his final year and graduated best and scored best throughout their school. Itachi applied for the top five universities across the country. And of course, he still applied for some local universities as a backup but Sasuke knew that his brother was aiming for ANU—the number 1 university in Australia at that time.

He watched his older brother struggle with his Stage 3 subjects for two years but when the fruits of his labour came into fruition, first when Itachi walked up the stage twice to receive his diploma then get his High Distinction Award, then the second when the TER scores arrived announcing Itachi's 98.7 that was soon followed by the offer from ANU arrived in the mail.

Sasuke had never seen his father so happy and proud, and he knew he wanted his tou-san to be proud of him too someday.

His ringing phone disrupted the train of his thoughts. It's his mother again; she's already outside the library.

* * *

><p>Days passed and the 23rd of July arrives. It's his birthday and the first day of the second semester.<p>

"Happy birthday, Sasuke," his mother greeted him brightly with a peck to his cheek as he sat on the dining table for his breakfast, already dressed in his school uniform.

"Thanks, mom."

It surprised him to see his mother still at home this late. Normally, she'd leave for work early with his dad.

"Your father wishes you a happy birthday too. Oh, and Itachi called while you were asleep but he said he'd call later to greet you himself," she added as she placed his breakfast in front of him.

"Hn."

His mom made obvious extra effort of adding tomatoes in his meal, to which he was extremely grateful for. After muttering a quiet "ittedakimasu," he dug in his food. After the first bite, he felt the tell-tale stinging of tears on his eyes. Sasuke hadn't had a proper breakfast before going to school for a long time since starting year 9. Mikoto would always leave early and therefore had no time to cook for her youngest. He wouldn't admit it out loud that he actually missed this moments, but it would be a lie to say otherwise.

"Well, Sasuke, I'm off to work. Have a great day. I love you," she gave her birthday boy another kiss on his cheek before heading out.

"Take care."

After finishing his meal and washing the dishes, he headed out himself to school on his bike. Upon arrival he learned that apparently there's a new student in his year. A girl, he heard. His peers talked about it but he didn't care, though he wondered what the buzz was about. He was a new student that year too, he transferred that year, but the buzz wasn't this loud—he wasn't jealous, of course. Just curious.

Though he supposed it had to do with the fact that while it wasn't a rare occurrence, it's still uncommon for anyone to be starting halfway the year. This fact makes it obvious that the transferee's from overseas. Another international student even, maybe. Or an exchange student.

Period 1 and 2 were soon over, and that's when he saw _her_ for the first time. At least, for the first time in five years.

tbc.

* * *

><p>edited.<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

まさか。。。

(No way...)

Still the same day—

July 23, 2008

.

People stared after her. It's_the hair_, she tried to convince herself, refusing to feel insecure and intimidated. _It's the hair_, she repeated in her head like a mantra, _that always caught people's attention_. What's new?

By the time she reached her Period 2 class, she became known as Sakura the New Girl. Nothing new really. How many schools had she been to? How many schools she's been labelled as the New Girl? More than few, that's for sure.

So she's the New Girl but they won't stop staring. It's the hair, it's the hair, she kept repeating in a mantra. Then the guy she's sitting next to turned to address her and introduced himself.

"I'm Suigetsu. Nice to meet you," they shook hands and she introduced herself too with a smile. Then he asked the question that explained all the staring she's been enduring the whole morning.

"Aren't you cold?" he gestured to her skirt. And she should've felt shy because hello, a guy just gestured to her skirt, but he seemed genuinely curious though she didn't really understand what was there to be curious about.

She looked at it and blinked. Throughout the whole morning she noticed that not all girls were wearing skirts like her. Most of them were wearing pants. Actually so far, she had only seen a couple of the girls wearing skirts and those ones all wore black or navy blue leggings.

Okay so she's wearing skirt with bare legs... Oh!

Sakura shook her head at him, smiling politely. "No, not at all."

Then he looked at her as if she's grown another head so she explained quietly.

It's the middle of winter at Australia, a complete opposite of the season she left Canada in, but it wasn't cold. _This 18 degrees Celsius_ temperature they describe to be cold befitting the winter season_was just_ Canada's summer.

The bell rang and that's when she realized she didn't listen to the teacher. She didn't even know what the lesson was about but oh well, it's Form time. Just another fifteen minutes until recess.

Suigetsu walked her to her form class after confessing she had been having trouble finding the rooms and she was thankful. Otherwise she'll have to look for the room herself when she didn't know which building was which at all.

* * *

><p>Sasuke did not leave his seat by the window when the bell signalling the end of the second period rang, as it was the same classroom he was having Form in. His Form teacher, Mr. Thomas, smiled at him when he entered the room before taking his post on the Teacher's Desk.<p>

"How was your holiday, Sasuke?"

"It was good."

"Did anything?"

"Not really."

The teacher sighed, already used to the boy's quietness. Honestly, if it wasn't his duty as Form advisor to interact with his students, he wouldn't even try. Thankfully, more students started arriving and he repeated the same process with them who responded with more enthusiasm as he ticked off the role.

Until he saw a name he'd never seen before.

"Looks like we have a new student," he observed aloud to the class.

Sasuke, who remained disinterested as he stared out the window, blocked out their conversations until his ears caught one of his classmates say "pink hair". He stiffened on his seat but tried to shake the thoughts from his head. _There's no way it could be_—

"You must be Sakura," he heard Mr. Thomas say and that's when he finally turned to look around the room and saw _her_.

Sakura...?

_Masaka._

But. But.

Sasuke continued to stare at her behind his glasses. Staring was rude, he was aware but given the state of shock he was in he believed he had the right to be excused.

Throughout the five years he'd been in Australia, he'd seen all hair colours he only thought possible in anime—green, purple, blue, yellow, even pink, all fake of course. And so far there was only one person in the world he knew who could carry pink hair naturally. Haruno Sakura. No, it's Sakura Haruno now.

Pink hair, check.

Green eyes, not yet checked.

He mentally ticked off Sakura-distinguishing-traits and knew it had to be her. But.

But _is it really her_?

This girl he was seeing for the first time in his school, in his homeroom, possessed the same distinguishing characteristics as the girl he had known when he was _eight_. However, the thought of the same girl in the same room he was in...

But what was she doing here? Why after all these time? He hadn't thought about her for a couple of years now, successfully forgetting her and her broken promise. Or so he thought. And now, she was standing before him, breathing the same air as him, inside the room where he was in, under the same roof.

Five years...

Five years was a long time. And he was at lost. He didn't know how he was supposed to act. He tried to forget her because he hated her, he hated himself for foolishly holding onto her promise that she didn't keep in the end. He was hurt, tried to forget her, and when he actually thought he succeeded, she showed up in front of him from out of nowhere. Now, he didn't know what to do.

How do you act around someone you haven't seen for half a decade? He could ignore her and pretend he didn't know her, he supposed. But.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the bell rang and didn't realise Form class was done until he heard the scraping of chairs against the floor.

He just stood up when—

"Sasuke-kun?"

—he heard her voice and his blood froze.

"Oh my God, it is you!" and before he knew it, a pair of arms were wrapped around his neck and felt a petite body press against him.

"I almost didn't recognise you! Since when did you start wearing glasses?"

By the time Sakura had pulled away from him, her green eyes were brimming with tears before they lit up the way a thought just occurred to her.

She gasped, a little too dramatically to be honest and exclaimed, "I can't believe I almost forgot! It's your birthday today, right? Happy birthday!" and she threw herself at him for another hug.

When more than several seconds ticked by and she still hadn't pulled away from him, he made an attempt to pull away himself but her arms tightened around him.

"I missed you." And he almost bristled at her words, almost called it 'bullshit,' (because how can you truly miss someone you haven't seen in nearly half a decade, someone you didn't keep in touch with? To him these three words were nothing but empty pretty words) but there was something about how small her voice sounded then that prevented him from doing so.

Sasuke refused to acknowledge that 'something' to be truthfulness.

"Sakura, let's go," he tugged on her wrist that was still clutching at his uniform, "everyone else left already and I need to get my food at the canteen".

To say he had been surprised would've been an understatement. Sakura's reappearance in his life was rather unexpected, and something he thought beyond improbable—an impossibility.

* * *

><p>Coincidence. Pure coincidence.<p>

It couldn't be anything else, right?

Sakura nearly didn't recognise him earlier. Actually, she wouldn't have seen him at all had she not chosen to look around the room when the bell rang. But she did and she did. It had been a series of coincidental events she hoped would lead to restoration of the friendship they once shared and unfortunately lost.

As she neared the front gate, she saw him standing next to his bicycle under a tree. _Is he waiting for me?_

Sasuke's changed by a lot, she observed. And the addition of a pair of glasses on his face made nearly unrecognisable but if she must say so herself, they look good on him. The stunt she pulled after Form was a gamble. Up until she said his name and he looked up, she wasn't at all certain if it really was him. If it would've been so awkward if it had been someone else.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called out with a quick wave but he didn't return the gesture.

When she reached him, he started pushing his bike away from the school. And she promptly walked next to him.

"You walk to school right?" he asked her, though his eyes were fixed on the path ahead of them.

"Yeah," she murmured, suddenly feeling awkward. Despite the bold intimacy she had displayed earlier, the fact that five years had passed between them didn't change. There was no way she could just act as if they were eight again, young and carefree, as if time stood still throughout the years.

But Sasuke was walking her to her house just like when they were younger...

And it felt like time stood still.

"Uhm, Sasuke-kun," she wondered if she should stop adding the honorific but it just felt weird to call him without it, "you don't have to walk me home."

"It's fine. I'm heading this way anyway."

She bit her lip. He was blunt and she felt like he was brushing her off. Maybe she's annoying him? She decided not to speak anymore throughout the whole walk.

Ten minutes later, after one roundabout and two blocks, they arrived in front of her house—or at least, the house they're currently renting. Sasuke stopped next to her when she announced they reached her house. For a whole minute they stood in her front yard awkwardly—well, at least it felt awkward on her part.

"Thanks for walking me home," she finally said, just to break the ice that didn't have to do with the season.

He sighed. "I just live about ten houses away. It's hardly an inconvenience."

Oh...

"Well, I'm going now. I'll see you tomorrow."

She watched as he mounted his bike—and suddenly it felt like she was nine again, him leaving while she stood watching.

"Wait!" she blurted out before she could even stop herself, "uhm, eto, would you like something to drink? Tea or anything?"

Even to her own ears she sounded desperate.

She was afraid he'd refuse her invitation but he didn't. He parked his bike against the wall of the empty garage before going in after her. Sasuke followed her to the kitchen, where she was boiling some water for tea and getting some snacks from the fridge but not before throwing a tomato at him which he deftly caught with a smirk.

And it truly felt like old times.

* * *

><p>Mikoto observed that her youngest was late from school today. Usually he'd be home before half past but it was already four and she still hadn't heard the front door open. Odd, he would've left a note on the fridge if he had plans or send her a text for any last minute commitments. To think she left work early today too to make her boy a tasty afternoon snack for a change, instead of the instant noodles he fed himself always.<p>

By ten past four, she finally heard the sound of the front door opening.

"Tadaima."

Her birthday boy was finally home!

"Oh, Sasuke! Okaeri. How was school today?" Mikoto greeted her son cheerfully as she started to prepare a snack for her son.

"It was... fine."

She frowned, noticing the lack of enthusiasm in her son's tone. Of course he never said anything with exuberance but something was definitely wrong with him.

"I saw Sakura at school," her youngest continued before she could ask again.

And she turned sharply at him in surprise.

Sakura?

There's only one Sakura they mutually knew.

"Haruno Sakura?" she clarified.

"Hn."

And there was nothing more she could do but only stare at her son with wide eyes.

_These two... you can only say that they have an irresistible bond to be able to meet again after all these years._

_tbc._

* * *

><p>hi, lovely lovely readers. first and foremost, i'd like to thank all those who subscribed to, favourite-d and reviewed this story so far. tbh, the perfectionist in me can never seem to be satisfied with this story at all. i changed the summary thrice and rewritten the posted chapters (with the exception of the prologue) twice. and i apologise to the readers who have to put up with my unfortunate indecisiveness.<p>

and anyone got tumblr/twitter here? to those who'd like to follow me, here are my usernames: rokusancchi (tumblr). ReiaAiannaia (twitter)


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